The invention relates to a retractable blade for use in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, particularly a retractable blade device that smoothes a material deposited on an image carrier by placing the blade adjacent to the surface of the image carrier.
In a typical electrostatographic reproducing apparatus such as an electrophotographic imaging system using a photoreceptor, a light image of an original to be copied is recorded in the form of an electrostatic latent image upon an imaging member and the latent image is subsequently rendered visible by the application of a developer mixture. One type of developer used in such printing machines is a liquid developer comprising a liquid carrier having toner particles dispersed therein. Generally, the toner is made up of resin and a suitable colorant such as a dye or pigment. Conventional charge director compounds may also be present. The liquid developer material is brought into contact with the electrostatic latent image and the colored toner particles are deposited thereon in image configuration.
Imaging members, i.e., photoreceptors, can take several forms including flexible belts, rigid drums, plates, and the like. Electrophotographic photoreceptors can be prepared with either a single layer configuration or a multilayer configuration. Multilayered photoreceptors may include a substrate support, an electrically conductive layer, an optional charge blocking or hole blocking layer, an optional adhesive layer, a charge generating layer, a charge transport layer, an optional protective or overcoating layer and, in some belt embodiments, an anticurl backing layer.
An Intermediate Transfer Belt (ITB) is used to compile an image or images originally developed on a primary surface or surfaces for subsequent transfer to a media substrate. Many programs experience shortened ITB life due to fuser oil contamination from duplexed media. The nature of many defects leading to replacement is observed to be as much a function of the non-uniformity of the oil distribution on the ITB as of the presence of oil itself. Many have suggested methods for removing oil from media prior to duplex transfer or from contaminated ITBs and photoreceptors, either as a process step or a service cleaning action. While the presence of oil is undesirable and even a uniform distribution may still lead to ITB replacement, a substantial subset of customers tolerate images printed with a smoothed contamination distribution.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art to uniformly distribute a contaminant on a belt to extend the useful life of the belt.